Many of you will know that we recently adopted four new residents into the café! Pip, Estella, Mountolive and Balthazar were all adopted from The Scratching Post Cat Rescue in late August, and while they’ve been busy settling in, we’ve been able to observe and experience their individual personalities and behaviours. Now that they’ve been here a little longer, we’re able to offer a more detailed update on our kitten pals!
All four kittens have taken up residence in our closed-off backyard area, a welcome change from the quarantine room in which our new arrivals usually stay. We’re glad that we now have a much bigger space for new cats to be isolated in, as the quarantine room was never intended for long-term stays. In the yard, there’s plenty of space for the kittens to play and explore until they’re able to meet the older cats!
Meet the newest additions to the Lady Dinah’s Family…
Pip, along with Estella, was taken to get his 12-week vaccinations this week... or, should we say her 12-week vaccinations! It turns out we managed to make the same slightly embarrassing mistake that we made with Dorian and Cecil - Pip is actually female! However, we think Pip is still very much an appropriate name for this curious, brave girl. Pip is the boldest of our new arrivals, and is already keen to meet the other café residents; on a number of occasions, we have found her shouting at Victor and Teddy through the window of the yard! We have been wondering who will take on the ‘big brother’ role to the kittens now that Donnie and Wookie have been rehomed, and it seems that these two boys are willing to take on the task!
Estella, our tortoiseshell kitty, is just as bold and friendly as her sister. We really believe that she will turn out to be a perfect café cat. Though she absolutely loves to play, she is equally happy to have cuddles with whoever is willing to provide them! She has already stolen the hearts of many of our team members, who rush for cuddles after their shifts.
Mountolive is an elegant and laid-back lady. She can be slightly timid at first but if you give her a little time, she will give you all of her love! Little Mountolive also has a wild streak, which you may get to see once she has warmed to you! She loves to chase her toys and go a little crazy. A few of the team members have drawn similarities between Mountolive and Tink: they both have big, pointy ears and long legs! Their friendly and playful personalities are also very similar, so we’re hoping these two girls can become friends!
Mountolive’s brother, Balthazar, is the least gregarious of our new bunch. He’s a tough nut to crack, but with some patience, he’s incredibly loving and sweet! He loves to nap, and is often found cuddling with his sister. We had a scare a few days ago because we thought Balthazar had gone missing… After some perplexed head scratching, we found him curled up in a ceiling void of the yard, proving that he possesses some serious ninja skills! Our little man has spent a lot of time in the roof since then, but we know that he’s safe and content, so we don’t want to deny him his privacy. We don’t like to coerce our cats from their favourite spots if it can be avoided, and we’re confident that Balthazar will want to explore more areas as he settles in.
When will I be able to meet them?
Now that Pip and Estella have had their 12-week vaccinations, we’ve started to integrate the kittens into café life. We were able to introduce the kittens to the older cats through the glass door of the yard, and now we’ve started to leave the door open so that the cats can socialise with each other. Oberon and Victor have shown a lot of interest in the kitten area, particularly the food bowls! We are monitoring interactions between cats, as well as interactions between the kittens and our guests to ensure that the kittens are always comfortable. When it comes to integration, we allow our new arrivals to take the lead. As was expected, Pip has proved herself to be a superstar already and has ventured into the café on multiple occasions to explore her new home and win hearts.
We’re really excited for our guests to meet this crew of intrepid fluff balls, and to see how their personalities develop as they grow to match the majesty of Lady Dinah’s other feline residents!
